Originally Posted by
billwatson58
Anyone from the St. Louis/Alton Il area familiar with Rowing Ridge Road north of Grafton? I rode it a couple of weeks back while in the area. My ride started at Pere Marquette State Park - I rode the bike trail for a couple of miles to Grafton, got bored, and thought I'd head for the hills. So I headed up what I thought was called Mason Hollow Road, but google maps has it listed first as Springfield Street, and then Rowing Ridge Road. At the base of the bluff I could see the top of the climb and my heart jumped. Holy crap it was steep. I got into my triple and started pounding away. Had I stopped pedaling I would have stopped immediately. Half way up it flatted out a bit and there was some shade, so I stopped to catch my breath. Don't recall ever having to stop on a hill before. Once I was pushing so hard on the pedals in order to keep moving that my front wheel lifted off the ground slightly. I'd love to find out what the grade is on that monster. I finished my ride by coming in the back way to Pere Marquette park - that is one fantastic place to ride. Smooth pavement, lots of hills and dips and turns, with minimal traffic. And most of it is shaded, which is great on a hot day in August in southern Illinois.
http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=16...17381&t=h&om=1
Bill,
I have ridden that route. No way could I ride up that hill on Springfield Street. Even on my mtb I had to walk. I ride Pere Marquette Park often. The hills and scenery are great and traffic is normally very light. My favorite time to ride the park is during winter on studded tires. I'm planning on riding from P.M. Park to the St. Louis Arch and back within the next week or two. It's all bike trail that runs along the river. I haven't figured the milage but it should be just short of a century. I live near P.M. on the banks of the Mississippi.